The One with the Happy Ending
by pumpkinnubbin
Summary: Loki walks through a forest on Midgard when he finds a small red-headed girl. After learning about her fate, he decides to take her back to Asgard with him where he raises her with the help of his mother and friends until things spiral out of control. Still, she refuses to leave his side.
1. Chapter 1

It was a cold winter's day. Loki was walking through a forest on Midgard. It was quiet here, abandoned by civilization and only inhabited by animals. He enjoyed these walks, in parts of the universe that weren't as lethal or shining as Asgard. Midgard's air smelled different than what he was used to. The air was fresh here in the woods but he knew from experience that the rest of the world didn't have this luxury. Where cities had risen, eventually, so had technology, factories and pollution. Cities smelled of that. Of dirt and smoke. He greatly disliked it. But in here, none of that was relevant. The only sounds came from the rustling of the wind, birds chirping and his boots stalking through the thick snow. His peace and quiet was interrupted by the most disturbing sight. In the snow farther up ahead lay a dead girl. She looked young, not older than perhaps eight or nine. He couldn't tell for certain, Midgardian growth had always confused him. When he approached the body, he noticed a handful more around her, all with the same fate as that first girl; their throats slit cleanly. There were fresh footsteps, only lightly snowed over and he decided to follow them back to their source. His curiosity was peaked. He didn't truly care for the fate of those girls, there was nothing he could do for them anymore anyway, but he wondered what they had been doing here. They had been in shirts and trousers barely long enough to cover their legs. It wasn't appropriate attire for how cold it was in this particular region of Midgard. Someone must have abandoned them in these woods but then the question arose, who had killed them in such a way? Surely abandoning them here would have been enough to kill them eventually. While it had snowed steadily, it hadn't been enough to fully cover the tracks he was now following and one closer look let him notice blood stains in the snow. The footsteps themselves weren't bigger than that of a child's and he anticipated seeing yet another girl dead in the snow.

He walked for minutes before the tracks stopped and he did indeed find another young girl in the snow. There was a bloody knife next to her body. Her clothes were white like that of the other's but tainted by blood. For a moment he thought her hair too had been drenched in the red liquid. He'd never seen hair so red before. He noticed her shivering and took the last couple of steps closer. She was alive. Loki knelt down next to her and she stirred, weakly but steadily lifting the knife to his chest. She barely managed to keep her eyes open but there was a fire there, a will to not only survive but to kill him to accomplish that.

"I am not your enemy."

She didn't lower the weapon and he wondered if she had even understood him. Midgard had many languages and he had yet to master all of them. He observed her closely. She didn't make a move, only shivered, and so he made certain she didn't think him a threat. He slowly opened his hand palm up to reveal a small ball of fire. Her eyes widened and her need to be warm overwhelmed her suspicion of him. She inched closer, glancing up at his face before trying to focus back on the green flame. It emanated so much warmth. The next time he spoke, he made sure that she would understand him.

"What happened to the other girls?"

She watched him, struggling to sit up. She wanted to be closer to the fire. As she sat and the light of his flame illuminated her face, he saw bruises there and a few cuts that ran down her arms and torso.

"I killed them."

"Why?"

"I had to," she said, in a tone that clearly had her wonder why he would ask such an obvious question, "There wasn't enough food for all of us. Only one. That was the exercise."

At that, he startled. Exercise? Somebody put these girls out here and made sure they'd kill each other as an exercise?

"What are you talking about?"

She frowned but didn't say another word. It was too cold and she was almost out of food. The bag next to her – he'd only noticed it now – was as good as empty.

"What is your name?" He asked gently.

"Natalia."

She wasn't supposed to talk to him, share her name with him. But he was the first person to show her any kindness.

"I can take you away from here. Somewhere warm, and safe."

Natalia hesitated. It was clear to him that she grew up knowing only pain and distrust. She was too young to live this way.

"You are much too young for something so terrible. Let me help."

She nodded. A moment's weakness made his offer sound too amazing to pass up. It was freezing and she was so exhausted. She doubted the Red Room too often lately. She knew nothing but this life, to kill when told and fight for her survival with blades if necessary. But there was more to life than all this, wasn't there? She'd like a chance to find out for herself. She refused the hand he offered and struggled to her feet. He smiled. She reminded him of Sif.

"I am Loki."

She nodded, acknowledging his name and then did it again when he instructed her to close her eyes and hold on tight. When he felt she was ready, he grasped her shoulders and called for Heimdall. The rushing sensation of being enveloped by the Bifrost swept over them and moments later, they stood within Asgard's observatory. Natalia felt sick. She fell to her knees and coughed, trying not to throw up but her body wasn't used to the kind of pressure she had just endured. She didn't notice the tall man standing in the middle of the place, next to his large sword. Heimdall looked at Loki disapprovingly.

"What did you bring the mortal girl here for?"

Loki sneered at him. He didn't help Natalia up, knowing that, like Sif, she would be too stubborn to accept help.

"There is no life for her where I found her. She deserves better than freeze to death so young. She deserves a chance to live."

Heimdall said nothing to it. Loki wasn't yet aware of his own origins. He and the girl shared a similar fate. He let them go to the palace without any more arguments.

Natalia remained quiet throughout the whole way there, Loki carrying her on his shoulders. She was too weak to walk. The way to the palace wasn't short. It was the middle of the night so they were unseen by prying Asgardian eyes. Only taverns still hosted people at this hour. She fell asleep before they reached the palace, finally warm and feeling somewhat safe. She hadn't been able to take in much of the city before closing her eyes. He brought her to his chambers and let her rest in his bed, making sure she was indeed still fast asleep before leaving to seek out his mother. He'd brought back a human child. He didn't know what to do about that now that she was here. He didn't want to let her go back to Midgard but he was no father; he had no experiences with children. He found Frigga in the library, still reading an old tome and he couldn't help but smile at her when she looked at him.

"You're back."

"Yes. I'm afraid I did not return alone, however."

"What? Loki, what do you mean?"

He came closer and sat by her side, taking in the tome she was reading and delaying revealing his news. He didn't know how she would react. Would she chastise him for it? Would she be proud of what he'd done? He sought his mother's approval more than anyone else's and if she were to be disappointed in him, he would be heartbroken.

"I found a girl in the woods… She wasn't going to make it through the night. She's hurt. I brought her back with me. I wish to keep her here; away from that place. What they'd made her do.. It was terrible, mother. Midgard isn't safe for her."

She sighed and closed the large book, fully turning to Loki.

"Oh, Loki… You should have left her in her own realm," she started.

She smiled at him though and he knew she wasn't upset with him. Odin had done the same thing for Loki when he had been nothing but a baby.

"You said she is hurt? Have you brought her to the healers?"

"No. I came to see you right away. She is asleep in my chambers. Her injuries aren't grave but I hoped you could take a look at them."

Frigga nodded in agreement. She wasn't going to let the child remain injured when she could help.

"What do you intend to do then? She is mortal, dear. She will age when we won't."

"I know. I will find a way."

"You always do."

Frigga smiled softly and cupped his cheek. She wouldn't be able to convince him of anything else anyway. Once Loki had made up his mind, there was no changing it.

"Let us see to her."

He nodded and they both stood, walking to his rooms together. She had not expected someone so small. She could see the cuts and bruises right away and sat down on the edge of the bed, close to her. Natalia didn't stir when Frigga touched her cheek, working simple healing magic to take care of her wounds, closing the cuts and making the bruises fade away. Loki watched them, relieved when the girl immediately looked healthier than when he'd found her. He kissed his mother's cheek with a thanks when she was done and she left them be for the night.

Loki didn't sleep that night. He kept careful watch over the girl in his bed. She tossed and turned a lot and her sleep was plagued with nightmares. She awoke in the early morning hours with a cry, panting and sweat-soaked. Loki was with her in moments.

"You are save here."

"Where is here?"

She hadn't asked the previous night. She'd just wanted to sleep, be warm. She hadn't asked enough questions then.

"Asgard. It is not the realm you know. You are far away from Earth."

She frowned but her confusion was short lived. If she was far away from her home, then she was fine wherever she was. She didn't care as much as she should. Her stomach rumbled and she ground her teeth together, expecting to be scolded. She had never been allowed to ask for food in the Red Room. There were strict times when she could eat and any other time was unacceptable. Showing weakness via her body betraying her by signs of hunger had been punished. But Loki wasn't the Red Room. Still she hesitated to ask. He just watched her calmly and it eased her nerves.

"Food?"

He smiled at her. Here, she would be allowed to ask for things she wanted. For food. She wouldn't need to go hungry.

"Come with me. Then we can get you new clothes as well."

"Am I staying?"

"Yes. Unless you do not wish to. I will find you a safe place if that is what you wish."

She shook her head no. Just this room alone was three times the size of the room she had called home. It was a million times better than anything she'd ever had. And Loki made her feel safe. She would like to stay here. He led her to the dining hall where he called for someone to bring her food. No questions were asked despite the fact that none of the servants had ever seen the human child before. Nobody would ask questions as long as she was with royalty. Even if that royalty was Loki.

His mother arrived before the breakfast did and Natalia watched her curiously. There was something special about the woman. The way she carried herself. When Frigga spotted the girl, she smiled at her and walked over to them both.

"Loki has told me we have a guest. When I came to see you last night, you were fast asleep. My name is Frigga. I am the Queen of Asgard and Loki's mother."

"Natalia."

She looked at Loki, really looked at him for the first time. The clothing made sense now. It wasn't anything she'd ever seen before but it also didn't look like anything simple. It was too much, too elegant to be the clothing of just anyone. He was a prince.

"It is nice to meet you properly. Loki will get you everything you need but feel free to come and see me anytime as well. You are, of course, welcome to stay in the palace with us."

"What's the condition?" Natalia asked with a deep frown.

"There is none, dear."

Not for a second did she believe that. In the Red Room, nothing had ever been for free. They had needed to work for everything they received there. The crappy little rooms, food, the training, even words had needed to be earned. If a girl couldn't deliver on the expectations, she wasn't going to make it. It had been simple but brutal. Frigga could tell that the girl had her doubts.

"I promise you, you are not obliged to do anything. Loki and I can teach you, if you like. You are too young not to attend school. I believe Midgard carries the same tradition? Sending their children to school at your age."

"I'm nine. I know what I need to know."

"You know how to survive, Natalia. Not live," Loki said.

She glared at him but he just chuckled.

"Eat for now. We will get the rest sorted later."

She sat down and waited for the food, watching the two royals.

"Say, dear, how do you feel? Besides hungry?" Frigga asked her a little later.

Now that she had asked, Natalia realized that she didn't feel in pain anymore. She was used to getting hurt and usually pushed through the pain but it was always still there. She knew she'd gotten injured the previous days but now she noticed that she didn't feel any of the cuts and bruises she knew should be there. She only felt hungry. She was warm and her body felt intact.

"Fine. How?"

She lifted a hand to her face but felt no bruises, no cuts. Her clothing still showed where they had been but her skin was mended. She looked at Loki. He had done something funny the day before, with the flame.

"Mother tended to your wounds. You remember what I did to keep you warm, yes? That was magic. We use it for many things. I am not very adept at healing magic, only the necessities, but mother can do it efficiently."

That made her head hurt but she just nodded mutely. She could accept that, she supposed. She felt better and that was all that really mattered. She thanked Frigga who smiled at her warmly and sat with them while breakfast arrived. It was just the three of them that morning. Thor wasn't an early riser and wouldn't come down to eat until much later and Odin had already eaten before the sun had even risen.

* * *

By the end of the day, she had gotten clothes, a room that was decently close to Loki's and she had been introduced to Thor and Odin. Loki had told them the same thing he had told his mother about what had happened; he'd just chosen to forget to mention that she was human. Thor loved her instantly. Odin wasn't too happy but didn't argue too much upon seeing his wife's face and hearing her opinion on the matter. He could never quite argue with Frigga. Natalia had given in to being taught by Frigga and Loki both and it had been decided that she attend classes with some of the other children of the realm. She had argued that. She'd rather study by herself. Loki had managed to come up with a compromise; they'd teach her for now but eventually, at least for a handful of classes, she would go with the others. After all, neither he nor his mother always had the time to tutor her.

The next day, she was introduced to the Warrior's Three and Sif, if only because she was with Thor and Loki at the time of their arrival. Fandral had teased her and for a moment Loki had worried she might attempt to kill the man. She was patient, that much he had learned by now, but whatever her education thus far had been, it had left no space for fun. Sif, upon seeing the girl's fighting spirit, had offered to train with her. Loki wasn't happy but Natalia looked genuinely happy at the offer and so he had said nothing. The girl accepted and Loki, at least, made sure to warn Sif not to be too hard on her. She was just a child after all. And much more fragile than any of them could know.

Loki had taken to teaching her about Midgard and the stars. He had tried teaching her about magic too once she'd expressed an interest but she wasn't adept at learning the practical craft so instead he taught her all about the theory of it. With his mother's help, he prepared runes and talismans to protect her from spells. She was very quick to pick up on everything he told her. She was an eager student, interested in knowing all there was to know. And she had potential for trickery and mischief. Not like Loki, not quite, but enough that he thought he should teach her more of it.

They talked about the Red Room sometimes. Natalia disliked it and became impassive when the topic came up but she answered his questions and told him what she'd learned there; how they'd taught there. He reinforced her talents and skills from there, but with much more care and kindness and soon the pain she had felt and the punishment she expected from failing faded to the back of her mind.

Frigga taught her how to act properly, how to behave and show kindness to others. She learned interactions with people that didn't include threatening them or manipulating them. She knew how to be part of a society, how to fit in when needed but here she learned how to do it naturally, without forcing herself to become somebody she was not. Frigga, when time permitted it, taught her how to read runes and the history of Asgard and the universe. Soon she knew about the nine realms, their histories, the wars, races and dangers of them all.

Thor taught her how to have fun. He showed her how to let loose at feasts and how to enjoy her childhood with plays, games and even brawls, though Loki scowled at that. She smiled more often and, though still very guarded, she learned that it wasn't bad to let that guard down every once in a while. They weren't her friends but they were the closest thing to those she had. They looked out for her. Natalia found herself grateful.

She was especially grateful for Sif's training. It left her in bruises every time and Loki always took care of them and patched her up (he even bettered his healing magic for her sake). She knew he wasn't happy that she got hurt every so often but he never said a word about it and she was grateful for that too. She was happy when she got to train with Sif. Sif didn't pull her punches, though sometimes she wished she would because getting hit by the force of her hurt a lot and had broken bones more than once. She taught her how to swing a sword and how to defend herself. And Natalia was a good student. She couldn't best her (and how could she, she was still a child) but she managed to stand her ground every once in a while.

Loki taught her how to fight with daggers. Where swords needed a steady and strong hand to keep them up and her swings consistent, daggers felt much more natural to her. The way they lay in her hands, the way the steel felt between her fingers, and how easy it was to miss a throw if her aim was off. It all felt good to her. She could fight in close combat with these which was something she had been taught to do in the Red Room. Guns and her body and sharp objects. That was what she knew how to fight with. Asgard didn't have guns. Asgardians didn't use their body in the way Natalia had been taught to do. They were brute force and physical prowess. Natalia was grace and acrobatics. Loki's teachings with the daggers enforced that style and she beamed at him every time she managed to please him. Her aim got exceptional in no time at all and keeping up with Loki wasn't as difficult as it had seemed when they first started these lessons.

Against Sif, she found herself using the daggers more than the swords. The shorter distance of her blades against Sif's meant more danger and the need to be much closer to her target than Sif needed to be in turn but she was quick on her feet, small and nimble and able to get between the spots in Sif's armor that left her open to hits. She didn't throw her daggers to hurt but to distract and then come in for the strike. She never hurt Sif but the warrior was well aware that if she so pleased, once she was close enough, she could. She was impressed with the girl.

"You fight like Loki," she told her one day.

Natalia was beaten and exhausted, bruised but looking pleased.

"It suits me better than your style."

Sif nodded to that, huffing a laugh. The child wasn't built for brute strength and swords, though she had the skill for the latter. Loki's dodgy fighting style did indeed suit her better.

"You will be a great warrior one day."

Natalia smiled at her.

She had trained with her for a little over a year now. A year since she'd been brought here, to Asgard, living in the palace with Loki and the others. It hadn't felt that long. Sometimes she still woke up in tears in the middle of the night, her dreams more reality than nightmare. She'd remember the Red Room and run to find Loki. Loki always reassured her. Loki's presence always calmed her. Sometimes she ran from the training too. When she was reminded of something from her past, from Earth, from the girls she'd killed to live or the training she'd received in the Red Room. And she'd panic and run right into Loki's arms. He was never far away. Sif had never asked questions but made sure to be more careful the next time and even Loki warmed up to her because of it.

* * *

As a girl, she'd always noticed Loki's rising jealousy towards his brother. And she'd always noticed how it seemed to dissipate when they were together, just her and him, because Loki was important to her in a way that Thor could never accomplish. She loved Thor but whenever possible, she remained at Loki's side. Even now, years later, when she had grown into a capable young woman, that was something that hadn't changed. She was a fully integrated part of the royal family now and had been introduced to Asgard's public years ago. She was well liked by most but a majority of the people didn't understand her love for the trickster God. He wasn't cruel but his mischief and lies had taken a bitter taste in most people's mouth. They distrusted him and Natalia had a habit of following in his footsteps.

Loki was still searching for a way to grant her a longer life. She was in her twenties now, time was flying. She wasn't allowed the elixir that could make her immortal like the rest of them, not yet anyway. But until then, he was searching the universe for an alternative. He almost crushed his mother with his hug when she came to him one day to tell him of something Heimdall had seen. She had asked the gatekeeper to keep an eye out for anything that might help Loki in his search. And indeed he found something. The Midgardians had developed a serum of some kind that looked rather promising. Loki went to steal enough for Natalia to take.

She aged slower from then on out. She was nearly seventy now but didn't look a day over twenty-eight. Besides Frigga, Heimdall and Loki, nobody knew she had taken the serum. Her secret was still well kept. Loki couldn't be happier. He'd grown more than fond of the girl he'd rescued and now that she was living much longer than any human normally could, he got to enjoy the time they had together. He would have been devastated to watch her die when they had barely had any time together. He hoped that soon she would be allowed the elixir, ensuring that she would live for many more years to come. They didn't know how long the serum would last for, though many check-ups and investigations suggested that it wouldn't stop working all of a sudden. Frigga would plead her case soon.


	2. Chapter 2

Loki didn't think Thor was ready to be crowned king. Natalia had noticed the shift in him. He'd hidden more from the others, reading and going out for walks when usually he would stay with them and pretend to enjoy himself. He'd even brushed her off a couple of times and she'd found it upsetting. Loki had always confided in her, had always told her what he was up to. He looked at Thor differently now. He still loved him but he was jealous and Loki had never known how to handle jealousy. She cornered him at the next best chance, during a feast. They'd held it for yet another successful hunt. Loki didn't care much for feasts or the company and Natalia knew it wouldn't take an hour for him to disappear. Nobody but her ever seemed to notice when his seat became empty. Thor was always too busy boasting about his victories, drinking and eating, and so were the Warrior's Three. The rest of the company didn't care for Loki enough to pay the younger prince any attention, whether he was there or not. But Natalia always had. Oftentimes she'd leave with him, or shortly after him. Tonight, she followed him right away.

"Loki."

He smiled as he turned to face her. She'd grown stealthy. It wasn't often that someone could sneak up on him but she'd managed for a few years now. She knew him well.

"Let us walk."

She nodded and caught up to him and together they walked through the hallway and out into the gardens. It was late and the stars shone brightly, as did the rest of Asgard. Frigga's gardens were beautiful. She'd liked them since she was small, when Frigga had first taken her out here to help her take care of them. She found it calming and peaceful and as a child, it had helped her ease her mind when she was upset with her past. Loki had taken to walking with her here, where they could talk. The gardens weren't a place most people came to. Only Frigga and them. Thor held little love for the place, though he would never dare say so out loud. He knew how much time and care his mother had put into these gardens and he would never belittle the attention and love.

"What's going on with you lately?"

Loki didn't try to deny her words. She had never judged him like the rest of them and while he'd grown secretive toward the others, he had never wanted to exclude her that same way. He stopped and looked up at the stars, then back at her.

"Is this about Thor's coronation?"

"One could think you are capable of reading minds. It is indeed about that. Thor isn't ready to be king. He's impatient, and a brute. He isn't what Asgard needs of its king. He is a warrior prince, not a wise leader."

"He'll grow into it. Once he realizes how much depends on him, and how much weight will rest upon his shoulders. He'll live up to the title."

"And how long will that take? He doesn't think before he acts. Thor would rage a war for the glory of battle rather than avoid it diplomatically. How many will have to die or be injured before he realizes that?"

Not two weeks earlier, Natalia had gotten hurt because of the blond. What kind of king would he be if he got his own allies injured? Loki's healing magic had improved considerably in the past decades but he still needed to ask his mother for help in tending to Natalia's wounds. Loki hadn't spoken to Thor for days, until she had pushed him to at least try and forgive him. Thor hadn't meant to hurt her.

"He has you," she told him.

"He has never listened to me… Any advice I give falls on deaf ears. I might as well try to teach a troll how to read."

She couldn't help a little laugh at the comparison and Loki smiled in return. She knew his fears weren't based on nothing but she had faith that Thor could grow into the king everyone wanted him to be. He cared about Asgard more than anything else and its safety and its people's happiness were always in the forefront of his mind.

"He has you, and Frigga and his friends. And Odin. He won't be ruling alone, not with all of you by his side. He can't ignore everyone's advice."

"He can if he wants to. And it is too late now. I have already set my plans in motion."

"What did you do?"

He sighed and cupped her cheek. She would need to stay far away. He could not risk the giants going against their deal and attacking the throne room.

"I invited Frost Giants to the party," he joked.

"Loki, no."

"It is already done. They will attack the vault, and be stopped immediately by the Allfather. Nobody will get harmed, but it will interrupt the ceremony. And Thor will undoubtedly do something stupid to retaliate."

"You want to prove a point to your father? You always did have a funny way of going about that."

She disapproved but if it was truly too late to change his plans now, then she wasn't going to go against him. She just hoped he had really thought this through. The giants weren't reliable allies, that much her studies had taught her, and they were brutal beings. They weren't interested in going peacefully and if they decided the vault wasn't good enough, then they would come out to attack Asgardians. Loki seemed certain they wouldn't though. She knew the vault was guarded by more than just a couple of palace guards so perhaps she worried too much.

"What if they find out you were the one to let them in?"

"They won't," he grinned.

Natalia rolled her eyes. For somebody so calculated, he sure got reckless sometimes. He got caught often because people suspected him and his mischiefs lay on a completely different level than those of any other inhabitant of the realm. Sneaking Frost Giants past Heimdall – and how else was he going to get them in – was something only a sorcerer like himself could accomplish.

"What is the worst that can happen, really? Father would never do anything to upset his dear Thor."

"You said he'll do something stupid. Like wanting to storm Jotunheim for its intrusion upon Asgard?"

He bit his lip for a moment, crossing his hands behind his back and pacing a few feet back and forth. Thor would want to retaliate and Thor had no boundaries when it came to battles. He would want to go to Jotunheim and likely cause a war in the process. At the same time, if that was what Thor would do, then Loki knew he wouldn't let them go without passing the information on to Odin.

"Should that happen, you cannot come with us."

"I fought against trolls, Loki."

"Trolls are mindless. Frost Giants are not. They will kill you."

She knew when she was faced with an argument she couldn't win and this was one of them. Loki didn't deny her much of anything but when it came to her safety, he made few compromises. Trolls were one thing; they were slow and usually alone and so he had let her fight with them, always making sure she wasn't in harm's way. But giants of any sort were a completely different story. They were intelligent beings with a wish to fight and kill that bore deeper than their need to feed. He would not subject her to the danger that entailed. If Thor and company wanted to go fight on Jotunheim, so be it, but without her there with them.

"You're an idiot," she sighed, giving in.

"I'm merely worried."

She raised her eyebrow at that. Worried as he may be, not every worried person would go to such extremes to prove their point.

"You're jealous. You needn't be."

"Nobody sees me the way you do, darling. I don't want the throne. I just want a worthy king on it."

"There are other ways of accomplishing that. Less drastic ways. Sometimes you're just as reckless and impatient as him."

"Perhaps."

She shook her head and he relaxed again. They didn't return to the feast and nobody questioned their absence. Nobody even noticed it, at this point far too drunk to pay attention to who was there and who wasn't. Loki was used to it and Natalia didn't care.

* * *

The coronation was not a week later. The brothers were in their regal armors, Sif and the Warrior's Three were dressed for the occasion as well and Natalia had received another dress from Frigga. She had a few, for banquets and royal visits, though she greatly preferred her own armor over them. They were all beautiful, most tinted a green similar to Loki's, some red or blue. The one she had gotten for tonight was golden, with silver bracelets. It was close to the one Frigga herself was wearing that day.

She shared a look with Loki as they took their places. He smiled at her warmly but Natalia's mind was occupied with what was going to happen soon. When Thor entered the throne room, cheers erupted from all around them. He bathed in the attention, not like a humble king but like the esteemed warrior prince he was. Frigga and Sif both rolled their eyes and glancing back at Odin, Natalia could see that he looked displeased. Loki did too. She had gotten used to those moods from both princes. The noises died down when Odin touched his spear to the ground and Thor knelt down in front of the throne. Odin began his speech to inaugurate his son but before he could finish, something caught his attention. He fell silent and listened for a moment longer, then whispered: "Frost Giants."

Reaching the vault with their father, the Destroyer had taken care of the couple of giants that had infiltrated the room and Thor looked at them angrily. Loki remained calm, and so did Odin.

"How could this have happened? We need to-"

But Thor couldn't finish his sentence. Odin had taken in the vault and was pleased to see they hadn't gotten their hands on anything. He turned to his sons and gestured for Thor to be quiet. Loki watched silently.

"We needn't do anything."

"This was an act of war!"

"It was the act of a few. You cannot damn an entire race to war over the act of a couple of theirs. They have trespassed, and they have been dispatched. Nobody got hurt. This needs no further action from our part."

Thor was outraged. He only fell silent once more when Odin reminded him that he wasn't yet king. The decision on what to do still lay with Odin himself. Thor stormed off and Loki quietly followed him before Odin would address him. Lately, he didn't enjoy spending time alone with his father. Too often was he reminded of his failures next to Thor's glorious accomplishments.

He found Thor in the dining hall, a table flipped and food on the floor. Natalia was already there with him but her calming words weren't heard by the angry God. As much as he adored her, Natalia had rarely been able to calm his anger. Loki and Frigga were usually the only ones who could.

"How could father just ignore this?" he boomed when he noticed Loki entering.

"It was only a couple Jotuns. He is right. That could hardly qualify as an act of war."

"How did they even get into Asgard? Heimdall guards the Bifrost, always."

Natalia didn't look at Loki and Loki kept his focus on Thor and his rage.

"I suppose we won't know."

"Unless…"

Loki cocked his head to the side when Thor grinned that grin of his that meant he was about to be dragged into something dangerous. They had been right then. He would want to storm Jotunheim.

"Thor, no. No, no, no. This is a terrible idea."

"What's a terrible idea?"

The Warrior's Three and Sif had just entered and Thor jumped up from where he sat with the broadest smile on his face.

"We march into Jotunheim."

"Are you mad?" Volstagg laughed before he noticed the fallen food. His face fell instantly.

Natalia couldn't help the little smile. He did love food a lot. The rest of them voiced their concerns too, though all of them knew that they wouldn't be able to convince Thor of anything else. And none of them would let him go by himself. Not even the great Thor would last against all of Jotunheim's might by himself. Sif gave in first, followed by Fandral and Hogun's silent agreement, then Volstagg and Loki. The latter turned to Natalia once the rest of them were too busy discussing a plan of action (after Sif pressed for it. She would not go to Jotunheim without a plan).

"You must stay back. Tell father where we're going once we've left. And tell mother not to worry," he whispered to her, "Now go before Thor remembers you're here and drags you with us."

She nodded and he kissed her temple before he turned back to his comrades, listening in on the rest of the plan while Natalia made her exit, unseen.

They rode the rainbow bridge to the observatory where they were greeted by Heimdall. He wasn't pleased that the Jotuns had gotten past him as if invisible and he wasn't convinced by the prince's request to travel to Jotunheim. He was bound to the royal family and their wishes, however, so he let them go, his gaze lingering on Loki for a second longer. Smuggling giants past him seemed like the kind of thing Loki would at least be capable of.

Meanwhile, Natalia had sought out Odin to inform him of the travel the group was doing. They were bound to run into trouble sooner rather than later. She went to Frigga after that. She was always worried about Loki when he was out without her, even though she knew that she wasn't as capable of protecting him than the other way around. The two women waited together, Natalia running her fingers through her hair to give herself something to do. It was almost as long as Sif's now.

When Loki returned, it was without Thor. Sif and friends had already come back to the palace earlier and they expected to see Thor come back with his younger brother. There was confusion when it didn't happen. Not all of them had made it out unscathed and so they had their injuries taken care of while Sif cornered Loki. She knew he had something to do with this. With Odin's involvement in getting them back home. She was grateful, of course, it had saved their lives after all, but she was angry too.

"I sent word to him," Loki explained, not willing to subject Natalia to Sif's temper.

"And now Thor has been banished. This is all your fault, trickster. You could have talked him out of this; I know you could have. But you didn't even try, did you? You just let it happen!"

"I didn't know that he would be banished for it. I never thought father would go that far. But we've all seen what Thor is like. He did him a favour."

Sif barely contained her scream, Natalia his saving grace. She had just joined them and Sif had never liked to shout around her. It had triggered her often as a child and she'd learned to control her temper enough to stop it when she was around.

Loki left and Natalia watched the four remaining figures in the room. They were angry, upset, and hurt. But Loki had looked confused. She ran after him but he'd already disappeared. She eventually found him in his chambers, sitting on his bed with his gaze intensely focused on his arm. He hadn't heard her knock.

"Loki?"

He was startled out of his thoughts and he hated the expression she wore. He hated it when he worried her.

"I am fine. Thor is on Midgard, exiled by father. I didn't mean for it to happen."

She came to sit next to him. She had heard the news already, from Frigga who had been in tears when she'd told her.

"I know… I'm worried about you though. What happened on Jotunheim?"

He didn't look at her for a few moments too long so his lie of "nothing" wasn't convincing. He was an excellent liar, even with her when he truly wanted to be but this time, he might as well have not tried at all. Still, she knew she wouldn't get it out of him if she pushed so she sat with him in silence, grasping his hand in hers. He smiled softly and squeezed her fingers gently. He loved that she always understood when he needed to keep something to himself, when he wasn't ready to talk about something or didn't have the words to say what he wanted which didn't happen very often.

"Thor will come back. Maybe then he'll have learned to be the king you want him to be."

She didn't leave again that night and fell asleep on his bed. He tucked her in, an old habit, and then left. One touch of a Frost Giant had turned his arm blue. He'd felt no pain, like the others, upon the touch but he found the change of color more curious. He'd thought about it ever since. How it had turned blue, how there had been no pain, how he never felt cold. If his suspicions we're right then it all made sense. But he didn't understand how that could be true. So he went back to the vault, back to the Casket of Ancient Winters the Jotuns had been after for centuries now. His entire body turned blue when he touched it and he could watch the change right in front of his eyes. He only let go again when the vault door opened and he heard Odin's footsteps behind him.

"What am I?"

"You are my son, Loki."

He laughed bitterly, then turned around to face him with crimson eyes and the will to not show his anger and hurt.

"What more than that?"

And Odin explained it to him. He explained how he'd found an abandoned little baby boy in the midst of a battlefield on Jotunheim, left there to die by Laufey. How he'd taken the boy home and how he and Frigga had raised him as their own. Loki was stolen. Asgard was not his home, Odin not his father (he would never consider Frigga anything but his mother) and his entire life had been a lie. All of it. He wanted to break down where he stood. Odin had berated him on taking Natalia away from her home and yet he had done the exact same thing to him. And so he screamed at him everything he'd ever wanted to tell him. It all made sense now. Odin favouring Thor all these years, Loki never having stood a chance of becoming king – not that he'd ever really wanted to – and how Loki had never fit in despite his best attempts. Why he looked different than any of his family. He had been a tool all his life. Odin had taken him to use him when the time was right. He had never intended on telling him he was adopted. He wondered if the rest of Asgard knew or if it had been a secret to them too. Nobody would want a Jotun amidst the royal family, or on the throne. He laughed, in tears. This was too bizarre to be real. As he continued shouting, Odin collapsed and in his moment of bitter hatred toward the man, Loki left him there.

He was still blue when he returned to his chambers, momentarily having forgotten that Natalia was there too. He was relieved to see her face. He felt so betrayed by his family; he was confused and angry and he still didn't understand how this could be his new reality. Natalia had never hurt him; she'd never lied to him or betrayed him. He hadn't meant to wake her up but she'd always been sensitive to his moods and she stirred before opening her eyes a moment later. At first, she didn't realize that it was Loki who stood in the room, blue as he was. She reached for the dagger she always had with her and was ready to strike him when the moonlight illuminated his features and she recognized him at once. There was a moment where neither of them spoke or moved, both shocked into silence. Then Natalia got up, leaving her blade abandoned on the bed, and crossed the little distance between them.

"Loki?"

He didn't know what to say. Perhaps he should have explained his suspicion when he had had the chance earlier. Now she was faced with a monster. He wanted to cry again. Loki snapped out of it when she reached up to touch him and he tried to stop her but she frowned and pushed on, placing her hand against his cheek. He saw no fear in her eyes, no hatred. He almost smiled at her. She winced a little when their skin came into contact and caused her hand to turn a dark purple almost immediately. It hurt more than what she was used to from training or hunts. Still, she refused to let go of him.

"Stop. You'll hurt yourself."

Natalia only managed to keep the contact up for another few seconds before pulling away. Her hand felt useless and would need some serious attention later but it wasn't important to her right now.

Only when he calmed down did the blue fade and his eyes return to their normal color. He held his usual Asgardian appearance again; one that he now knew to be a glamor put onto him by Odin. Deeming it safe to touch him again, Natalia hugged herself to him, her frozen hand hanging limply by her side and her other buried in his cape.

"What happened?"

"I am a lie. Stolen," he whispered.

"Stolen like me?"

"Quite… for less noble reasons. I suppose that is why nobody truly objected me taking you."

"It's not so bad," she mumbled against his chest.

He disagreed. He was much older than her. She, at least, knew who she really was even if her memories from Midgard had faded into vague ideas. His entire life was a lie. He pulled away and steeled himself. He told her what Odin had told him and she listened patiently, not once interrupting him or pushing him on. She let him talk, let him vent and cry. She took it well.

"I don't care what you are," she told him, "You'll always be the same person to me."

She didn't think him a monster, regardless of all the things she'd learned about Jotunheim and its inhabitants. She loved Loki, unconditionally. He'd always shown her that same kind of love.

The look on his face was a familiar sight to her. He was up to something.

"Where are we going?"

"You are not going anywhere. This is mine."

"I'm coming with you. Wherever you go. I'm staying with you, Loki."

He stared at her for a few seconds and then smiled at her lovingly. She had never stopped being by his side, despite any missteps he may have taken that had upset her, she had always stood by him. Not once had she abandoned him. Natalia wasn't bound to Asgard. It had been her home for the majority of her life and she loved it dearly, but she loved Loki more. He was her everything. Without him, this place would be nothing to her.

"I am leaving this place. Odin is not my father, Thor not my brother. I do not want to live this lie any longer."

She didn't ask about Frigga. She would be upset, heartbroken, but Loki needed to do this and he had every right to it.

"Where to?"

"I don't know. Anywhere but here."

Asgard didn't need him and he didn't need Asgard. There were other realms, other places in the universe he could occupy. He was certain somebody had found Odin by now and he supposed the old man was in his Sleep now, leaving the kingdom in Frigga's capable hands. Whether or not that was the case, however, Loki no longer cared. If Frigga was unwilling to take the throne, it would fall to him, but what need did he have for it? He never wanted the throne and now that he knew what he really was, he despised everything that throne stood for.

Natalia had left quickly and had grabbed her things from her room, ready in less than five minutes. She didn't own much she couldn't part with. Loki and Frigga had spoiled her with books all her life, clothes and anything she had wanted or needed to be comfortable. Now all she needed was a bag full of clothes, her armor, and every weapon she could find. She'd only packed one book; the very first one Loki had ever gotten her.

He took her hand when they were both ready and led her away, to a portal outside of town that transported them away from Asgard, into a different realm. They lay low when they reached Vanaheim, careful not to be recognized. People here knew Asgard's royal family well and undoubtedly word of them both disappearing had long spread through the realms closest to the Realm Eternal. Loki hadn't made many friends in the past so they were not only on their own, but also in danger of getting found out and reported to royal guards. Natalia had prevented some of his more harmful ideas from springing into action. She had kept his bitterness at bay when it had threatened to overwhelm him. She had become his save haven. She'd never minded his pranks and mischief, though she had chided him a few times in the past when he had crossed a line. But she'd never been upset with him for long, never disappointed. As a child, his tricks had always cheered her up and she'd taken a liking to them for that reason especially.

"We'll stay here for a while," he said when they'd found a small town far away from where Thor and his friends usually were.

They had a better chance of remaining unrecognized here.

"Do you want revenge?"

They walked up the stairs of the tavern to the room they had booked and she settled on the bed there, watching him curiously. She still looked like a child to him when she did that.

"I do. Will you help me?"

"Yes."

"Thank you, Natalia."

"I owe you my life."

He tucked her long hair back behind her ear and sat down next to her. He didn't know if he could do this without her. His thirst for revenge would surely drown him without her steadying presence by his side.

For now, they would get some rest and some peace and quiet here. A plan could wait. Perhaps they would even hear news of Asgard's affairs from here. He already missed his mother. He wondered if he'd ever see her again. The thought of not was almost unbearable but when he glanced back at the red head next to him, it became better. It was heartbreaking to think he might never see the woman he loved so dearly again, but having Natalia by his side made it hurt less. Both her and his mother were his whole world and while his reality had been shattered into pieces with the revelation of his true origins, this was still intact. Natalia was still here, with him, loving him no less than she did the previous day. He wasn't alone, even if his mother was far away. He wouldn't succumb to the bitterness.


	3. Chapter 3

The two travelled from realm to realm, always making sure to remain unseen and unrecognized. They kept a low profile, giving false names and hiding their connections to the royal family of Asgard. Loki rented tavern rooms for them wherever they went and sneered at anyone who had the nerve to suggest she was his concubine. Natalia, on a whim, decided after the second or third time this happened that it could work as a decent enough decoy. It was true that the thought appalled her as much as Loki but if they could make people believe it was true, they would ask fewer questions. After all, who would believe them to be part of the royal family when it was widely known how they cared for each other. Loki had accepted her idea with a bitter taste in his mouth. It was just so very wrong to him, but he knew she had a good point. He still glared at people but Natalia always smiled and told whoever was on the receiving end that he was a possessive man, which wasn't entirely untrue. Loki was possessive and he kept his most precious things jealously guarded. That had always included her and she'd never minded because he had never restricted her freedom.

It helped too that they kept away from the more inhabited areas of the universe. People here had never seen Asgard's royals before, neither did they care enough to pay attention to who was staying amidst their numbers. The farther out they got, the more ruthless people seemed to become. They witnessed slavery, torture and more than a few mercenary bands scouting out the areas for victims. This far away from Asgard, the ever shining example of perfection amongst the realms, things worked differently. Loki suggested a change of attire when they saw how a noble man from another realm got robbed at gunpoint. Out here, the outlaws were the law. If anyone would even so much as suspect them to be of noble birth or think them wealthy, they would be a target immediately. Normally, it wouldn't bother either of them too much but the stakes were high. In this particular region of space, they were outnumbered on every corner. Now, they were dressed to fit in. Posing as another couple of mercenaries to get around safely wasn't a difficult task and their skills helped them along greatly. Loki's magic made hiding their identities easier and their talent to adapt to any situation came in handy too. They both knew how to fight and hold their own and Natalia was intrigued by the guns these men carried with them. She hadn't seen guns in decades. Laser guns, rifles, pistols of all kinds, they all had her attention. She got her hands on a couple, quickly figuring out how they worked. None of them functioned very differently from the ones she had used back as a child. They had a safety mechanism, a trigger, and various gadgets to make them more powerful. She stole one, but rarely used it. She had grown to prefer the daggers she'd trained with all her life.

They had travelled for months when they stumbled through a portal and into a dark and cold part of the universe. Loki felt uneasy the moment they'd set foot on the ground here. Natalia felt alert and unsafe. It didn't sit well with her. She hadn't felt this way since Loki had found her all those years ago. It seemed abandoned, nothing but floating islands and deserted space wherever they looked. They knew better than to let their guard down and so on the first sign of life around them, they both prepared to fight. It had always been Natalia's first instinct to fight and Loki had adapted a similar stance since he came to care for her. He was ready to worm his way out, talk himself out of a fight but he rather be safe than sorry, especially where she was concerned.

"What do we have here?" a voice called out from behind them, "A fallen prince of Asgard and his… concubine?"

They turned to the source of the voice and Loki snarled at the creature standing not five feet from them. Natalia tightened her hold on the dagger, swallowing hard. She'd never seen anything like it before. On her travels, and through her studies, she had seen and learned about many different races but she knew this one was something she hadn't encountered yet. Its smile made her feel sick. Loki took a protective step toward her, narrowing his eyes.

"She is royalty."

"Is that so?" it laughed, "Well then, _royals_ , we have an offer for you."

"We?"

It was the first time Natalia had spoken since they'd arrived in this strange place and it focused its attention on her, stepping closer. She didn't budge and stood her ground proudly. She'd fought trolls and bilgesnipe and other Asgardians. She was not afraid. She would not be afraid of the unknown. She knew better than that; Thor and Loki and Sif and Frigga had all raised her better than that. Part of her Red Room training had also taught her better than that.

"Thanos. He will rule this universe and he will reward those who helped him."

"I am not mad enough to help him."

It laughed again, a cold sound that made her want to vomit. It was a weird sensation. Loki glanced at her in concern. He knew when she was unwell, no matter how good she was at hiding it.

"You will be mad not to help him. You seek revenge, princeling, do you not? Word of your origin has spread wide across the universe. The Jotun prince of Asgard," it spat, "We can offer you a chance. Bring us the tesseract and in return, we will provide you with an army of chitauri, ready to do your bidding."

"Where is it?" Natalia asked, knowing Loki's interest was caught even if he'd deny it later.

He was still bitter about what Odin had done and the chance at revenge, a true chance, was something he'd been waiting for. If Thanos could provide such a chance, she would like to hear more about it. She knew of Thanos, of the Mad Titan, and the danger he was to the entirety of the universe. But for Loki, she'd brace it.

"You know it as Midgard. It is there. Bring it to us and do with Midgard as you please."

She held her breath for a moment. Loki looked back at her. They just stared at each other for a few moments, Loki trying to see how she felt about it. Midgard had always remained a delicate topic between them. He had stopped asking questions and she had rarely brought it up on her own. He turned to her while Natalia kept a watchful eye on the creature close to them.

"Natalia?"

She turned her gaze to him and bit her lip. This could be a chance to avenge her and one for him to take his own revenge on Odin and Asgard. Midgard was a protected realm, whether or not they were aware of it, and attacking it would send a clear message to the Allfather. She felt the dagger in her hand; felt its familiar and reassuring weight and then she nodded, determination visible on her face. His lip twitched into a small smile.

He returned his attention to the creature, who eagerly awaited their response.

"We accept."

And so it gave them everything they needed to put a plan in motion. It provided Loki with a sceptre that resonated with his magic while Natalia refused all its offers. She could have gotten a new dagger or one of the chitauri's weapons – which she had admittedly been interested in – but instead she thought it a bad idea to accept whatever it had to offer. They needed the sceptre, she knew, but she didn't need anything else. She had her own weapons, herself, and she had Loki. She needed nothing more.

* * *

They prepared for a month. Loki had felt for the tesseract to know where they needed to go and it had taken him quite some time and effort. He'd re-done her talismans too and the protective runes now worked stronger than they had in a long time. He was going to considerable length to ensure her safety. They were only dealing with mortals but he expected Asgardian interference and he couldn't rule out magic on either front. She'd polished her blades and improvised a holster for the gun she still had with her. She'd grown fond of it enough to carry it around with her when she could. They had their usual garbs again, too. Natalia wasn't dressed in armor all the way but she'd kept her vanguards on, the metal plate around her torso and back and her boots, where multiple daggers were hidden. Loki also had some hidden in his, as well as strapped to his thigh and more ready to be summoned in a heartbeat.

"Are you ready?"

"Yes," she nodded, looking up at him with a little smile.

He cupped her cheek and released a breath. The mortals couldn't hurt her. She would hurt them. He kissed her forehead and she rested her head against his chest for a few moments. This was going to be nothing like any of the battles they'd fought before. This was theirs; them against an entire realm if necessary. She was ready to take on the world.

"Then let's pay Midgard a visit," he said in a dark voice.

She tilted her head to the side and then smirked. Loki wanted to wreak havoc on the place; for her first and then for his own revenge. She would have his back the whole way through.

Their entrance at S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ was bloody. The moment they'd fully arrived, Loki had taken out a couple of guards with a well-placed throw of daggers and Natalia had taken out the ones he hadn't been able to get or even see. It was the two of them, standing tall and proud and dangerous, against a handful of agents and more scientists and guards. Loki smiled menacingly and Natalia matched it with a smirk of her own. The tesseract was right in front of them, held in a machine that had helped amplify the range of it. It had helped them get here.

"The tesseract."

"Is not yours to take," said the man clearly in charge of this place.

His eyepatch reminded him of Odin and he was certain they had the same kind of saint complex. But Odin was no saint. And this man, staring them down, was playing with things far beyond his ability to comprehend. One look around told him they were experimenting on weapons, wanting to make the tesseract a tool of war and destruction. In another life, Loki could have appreciated it. But he knew enough of the tesseract to know that the mortals stood no chance of controlling the powers with which they played.

"Oh, but it is," Loki smirked.

He sent a bolt from his sceptre that had the two men closest to the tesseract jump for cover. Natalia moved quickly, before he even had a chance to call her name. They had always made an excellent team, knowing what the other was thinking on the battlefield and covering each other as well as complementing each other better than anyone they'd ever fought with. Thor and Loki had often made a good team for their differences, but they didn't understand each other to the degree that he and Natalia did. No words would ever be necessary between the two of them.

She reached the younger one of the two and kicked him to the ground before he even had the chance to draw his gun and attempt to return fire. Loki was still being shot at, however, by the other man and the other people carrying weapons on them. The bullets bounced right off his armor and he chuckled to himself, drawing himself to full height once more as he approached the tesseract.

"Barton, keep her away from the tesseract."

Clint made a face. That was easier said than done. She was much smaller than him but she was also much faster than him, each and every one of her moves precise. No breath was wasted. She was incredibly vicious in her attack. It took Clint all he had to get her off him and reach for his gun. Loki threw a dagger his way before he could pull the trigger. It wouldn't have harmed her, so long as the bullet would have hit her armor. He wasn't ready to take the risk. She turned her head back to him and gave him a lazy, grateful smile before drawing her own dagger to get back into the fight with Barton.

"You know," he started, blocking her attacks, "It's rude not to introduce yourself after breaking into a top security facility."

She huffed. He reminded her a bit of Fandral; always ready to crack a joke in the middle of a fight. Loki joined her side, looking as impressed as she felt which wasn't much. Clint held his own, that much credit she had to give him, but he wasn't exactly dangerous to either of them. She thought he could be, if he tried harder.

"I am here for the tesseract, not to make friends. Give it to me, and perhaps nobody else will have to die."

"Yeah, I kinda seriously doubt you mean that."

Meanwhile, the other man, Fury, carefully placed the tesseract in a briefcase but Natalia had caught the movements and wasted no time in stopping him from taking it with him. Loki kept busy with Barton, smirking at the smaller man. She threw a dagger to stop Fury from shooting her. It hit him in the arm and he dropped the gun, unable to hold onto it. She swooped in and grabbed the briefcase, kicking the gun away. Loki grabbed her once she had it and teleported them away quickly, leaving everyone else behind, looking on in confusion.

He'd moved them to a safe place outside of the city where he immediately checked up on her.

"Are you hurt?"

"No. They didn't get me."

He let out a sigh of relief. He'd made sure she was fine but a lot had been going on, at least for him. She handed him the briefcase with a little smile and he made the cube inside disappear with the flick of his hand. The chitauri would come as soon as he opened the portal to their world but first he needed a few things; starting with people to make his work easier. The tesseract was safely hidden away so nobody else could get their hands on it.

Finding people who were willing to help their cause was surprisingly easy. One mention of S.H.I.E.L.D. did wonders. The agency had a lot of enemies and if Loki could bring their downfall, then they were more than happy to join up and help him accomplish it. One of the people who joined up was an ex agent. She was eagerly sharing agency secrets and any intel that might be of use. The most interesting thing that came out of it was the mention of the Avengers; a group of superheroes that would likely be assembled to defend Earth from all and any threats. Loki and Natalia both listened intently to what the woman had to say. She told them all about the ones on the shortlist for the initiative.

First there was Tony Stark, Iron Man; a genius with a suit of metal armor he used to fly around and safe others. The massive tower in the middle of the city belonged to him. Loki thought it would make an amazing vantage point; somewhere to open the portal from. The one they called Captain America caught Natalia's attention especially. Loki's too. He was like her. He, too, had taken a serum that had somehow enabled him to enjoy an expanded lifespan. By the looks of it, his had been the first use of the superhuman serum that the Russian had adapted for themselves. His existence as Captain America had allowed Natalia to live on. Loki and she shared a look at the tale.

Next there was Barton, the archer they had already met when they stole the tesseract. He hadn't seemed like anyone very special but she was curious to see what he might be capable of when pushed to the extreme. Loki's main interest lay with Banner and his alter ego. Surely, the Hulk could be used to their advantage. Perhaps he could divide the team before they'd truly gotten together, making them fight each other rather than Natalia and him. He wanted to unleash the beast. Natalia wasn't behind the idea as much as he'd like but he didn't blame her. Going after the Hulk meant getting close to them all, him especially, and that sounded dangerous. None of the heroes could harm him, but she wasn't so sure that the same could be said about the monster. His immense strength could do damage to Loki, even if it was only superficial. She disliked the idea greatly. Loki needed to be alright, always. He wouldn't let her get too involved with Banner either, though she argued that she could take Banner before he transformed and became a problem. But Loki had made up his mind. He'd go in and set things in motion from there. She would be his escape, help him get out once everything was going according to plan. He would trust nobody else with the task, only her.

Natalia made him promise to be careful and not get himself injured.

* * *

What neither Loki nor Natalia had anticipated was Thor's arrival. He was alone when he came, taken in by the Avengers after a short fight somewhere in Germany; a distraction for Natalia to retrieve something they needed. Thor grabbed Loki out of the quinjet and they landed unceremoniously in the mountains, leaving Loki winded in the dirt. He made a face and then looked up at Thor. He briefly wondered if he'd ever made it back to Asgard or if he'd still been here on Midgard.

"Brother!"

Loki laughed, a cold and bitter sound that chilled Thor to the bone.

"Did the Allfather ever forgive you? Or have you been stuck on this worthless realm all this time? How much time has passed since you've been banished? A year? Two?"

Thor balanced his hammer in his hand, tightening his hold before relaxing it again only to do it all over again. Loki watched. Seeing Thor made him miss his mother but it was too late to think about this now. He would go through with this, with all of it.

"Come home with me, brother. You and Natalia."

"I am not your brother. Did he not tell you? Or have you truly not returned to Asgard?" he spat.

"You are my brother… regardless of your birth. Do all the years we've spent growing up together, playing together, really mean nothing to you?"

Loki glared at him and stood up, dusting off his clothes.

"I care not. I will not return with you. Neither will Natalia."

"Where is she?"

"Safe. You won't take her with you."

"Loki-"

"Enough. You are wasting your time. You cannot stop what is coming for this wretched place."

Before Thor could say much more, he was carried away by a blur of red. Loki was impressed; Thor was incredibly heavy for Midgardian standards. He watched the confrontation, only disappointed by how short lived it was. But all the better. That way he could get back to his plan faster. Thor was a nuisance he hadn't accounted for and it was too late to send word to Natalia. He would need to work around it. If Banner's alter ego could hurt him, then Thor was no safer from it.

He was taken onto the helicarrier eventually and walked past the many faces on the craft. He recognized a few of them from his infiltration of the HQ previously. He was put into a cell he knew wasn't originally made for him and smiled, seating himself onto the lone bench within it. He waited. Somebody was bound to come for him, wanting information. Perhaps they wondered about Natalia too. He'd been alone when they'd found him after all. He had the advantage here, even if none of them yet realized it to be true. Loki held all the cards. Thor's involvement wouldn't matter.

In the meantime, Thor had taken to explaining who Loki and Natalia were. Many questions arose, between Thor's own identity, Loki's and Natalia's.

"So, she just showed up one day?" Clint asked.

He was more curious about her than Loki. She didn't seem mad like he did.

"Loki brought her home when she was still a child."

"Okay. So, she's like you guys then," Clint frowned, "'cause she hit hard but not so hard that she broke anything. Which I know is something you guys do in your sleep."

Thor nodded. Neither Loki nor Frigga, or even Heimdall or Natalia herself, had ever told him she was human; mortal. Not anything like Loki or Thor. It was a well-kept secret.

"She is a strong fighter but she knows when to pull her punches," Thor said with a broad smile.

He was clearly amused which made Clint pull a pout.

"Any idea what they want the tesseract for then?" Steve asked.

Thor turned to him and shook his head sadly: "No, I'm sorry. I do not know. However, they must be stopped. I love them dearly but whatever they have planned cannot be left to go on. Father wants them home…"

"Barton, go have a chat with Loki. Maybe you can find something useful, like what he did with the damn cube. Dr. Banner, if you could continue looking for the tesseract?"

He didn't think Clint could get anything out of the God. Bruce nodded and went back to work, followed by Tony who decided to help him with it. Clint went down to the cell where Loki was already awaiting him with a smirk.

"I'm afraid that if you were hoping to sneak up on me, you have failed terribly."

Clint had a bad feeling about this guy. He was nuts. Why Natalia hung out with him was beyond him. She had appeared incredibly sane to him, not like Loki. He got an eerie feeling when he stopped and Loki turned to face him, his hands crossed behind his back and looking as superior as he supposed a God would.

"Thor says you've gone crazy when you found out you're adopted."

"My blood relations are of no concern to you."

"And what about the girl? Natalia, was it?"

Loki observed him for a few moments and then smirked.

"Do you fancy her?" he asked, laughing before his glare turned icy, "You cannot have her. And if you try, she will kill you before I will ever touch you. She hates your kind."

"My kind? Humans?"

"I hope you did not have your hopes up."

Clint ignored the slights and pushed on, keeping away from the cell window. He didn't trust Loki any further than he could throw him and he knew that wasn't far at all.

"You love her."

"Love is for children."

"She was a child when you found her."

He shrugged his shoulder once. That was true. Loki loved no one more than her and his mother and both affections stemmed from the love of and to a child. He loved his mother unconditionally and he loved Natalia unconditionally.

"You are out of time."

Clint frowned just before an explosion shook the helicarrier. Loki laughed when the archer ran off and then sat back down on his bench. She was coming.


	4. Chapter 4

There was a commotion following the explosion. The helicarrier had lost one of its rotors and everyone on board worked frantically to get it back up and running. Stark was already getting ready to putting it back together. Loki smiled. He had planned his exit from this cell since before he'd first seen it. There were agents on board of the craft that would release him, long having joined up with Loki and Natalia for disliking what S.H.I.E.L.D. was doing. There were allies everywhere and nobody seemed to notice the traitors amongst them. It was amusing. He expected Thor to come see him and was not disappointed when he appeared. Thor was an oaf often enough but he wasn't entirely stupid, nor oblivious to the fact that the explosion had been neatly timed with Loki's arrival. By the time the blond reached the room that hosted his prison, Loki had long been released from it. Only a copy occupied the space in it now for the sake of trickery. He needed Thor out of the way, away from the carrier. Without Thor here, he could cause the chaos he was after to unleash the Hulk. Or perhaps – hopefully – that had already started. Surely the explosion would make Banner lose focus. He hoped so.

"Brother, what have you done?"

"Thor… so good to see you," his illusion smirked.

Thor was not happy. He'd seen that expression on his face many times since their youth and rarely had it been directed his way so strongly. Thor had never enjoyed his brother's trickery very much but he'd loved him too much to truly be mad at him for long. This time, however, that love was stretched and tested more than Thor was willing to admit. The kind of mayhem Loki was after now couldn't simply be ignored or brushed off as a childish prank. Thor knew this. He realized the extent he'd go to and it worried him. This wasn't the brother he knew and loved.

"There are innocent people on board of this ship."

"Innocent is a stretch, from what I have heard of this organization."

"Loki, stop this madness," Thor pleaded.

"Too late."

A smirk was, in the end, all it took for Thor to charge. Loki knew what buttons to push to make him react and so the sudden move didn't catch him by surprise. Thor was impulsive, always had been. It made him an easy and incredibly predictable target. One would think after so many years of being on the receiving end of his tricks, he'd learn. He ran straight through the illusion, into the cell which was promptly closed by the real Loki as his copy faded into nothingness. He smiled, his finger tracing the button he'd just pressed. It was almost disappointing how easy that had been.

"Why are you doing this, brother? Does your hatred truly run so deeply?"

There was pain etched onto Thor's face and his voice rang deep with concern and the wish to understand. But Thor could never understand. He was the golden prince of Asgard. He was loved. He'd never been lied to. And he didn't know the state in which Loki had found Natalia in. He had no idea what this realm was capable of; the destruction and ruin that came with its progression and that of its people. Loki was doing this for Natalia first. He had no desire to explain to him. This wasn't for Thor to understand. Thor didn't understand pain and disappointment. He'd only ever known trust and the praise of the people. He didn't know what it was like to struggle; to have to fight for everything. As a prince, it had been easy for him. For Loki too. But Loki was different. Asgard didn't have a place for difference.

"No," he echoed softly, "You wouldn't understand. You have never understood. It matters no longer. Your love for this realm is misplaced."

He watched Thor struggle to break through the glass and stopping immediately when it made the whole apparition unstable. The fall would be long. Loki had little doubt it was survivable for an Asgardian. He pushed the button that released the cage and looked on as Thor crashed through the clouds, down toward ground. He lamented it for a moment or two and then left, striding through the craft unseen until he met with the quinjet that had brought Natalia here. They reunited with a hug and left the scene, not waiting to see if the carrier would crash or if Stark could fix the damage she'd done.

"Thor is here."

She froze for just a moment, then steeled herself again. She should have expected him to come. It didn't change her resolve. Whether Thor was here or not, they would go on with their plan; follow through with their own avenging. She would not let his involvement stop them.

"Let him be."

He smiled. Not even Thor would be able to stop them. He promised it to himself, for her sake. He wanted to see this realm know the pain it had inflicted on Natalia and the girls he'd found dead in the snow.

They set up the portal on top of Stark Tower. While Loki had been imprisoned by the mortals, Natalia had seen to finishing the work that would allow them to open the way to the chitauri home world. Together they stood atop the large balcony overseeing the city. Loki had his sceptre in hand. The chitauri were pouring through the gateway they'd opened, flying in to bring destruction to the city. He smiled. Natalia watched. The Avengers had come together to fight the invasion but the chitauri numbers were large and it would be no easy feat to win. They didn't join the fight. Loki knew she was itching to. She grew up a fighter; a warrior. When there was a battle, she wanted to be a part of it. Loki didn't feel that same kind of pull. He relished in the chaos that ensued but had little need to be a larger part of it. He would let her go, if she truly expressed a desire to. He knew she wouldn't. She would remain with him, seeing to his safety even if he did not need her to.

"Thor will be here soon. Or the Hulk," she said softly, "Are you prepared?"

"As long as you are with me."

She smiled and nodded. She would not leave his side. She was ready. The Hulk's roars rang loudly through the air. Facing the beast wasn't much scarier to her than many of the other foes she'd encountered in her life on Asgard. She had never fought a Jotun but she imagined them to be more terrifying than the green beast. Trolls certainly had her more on edge. She supposed a charging bilgesnipe also fit the comparison. She'd survived all of them. Nevertheless she worried, not so much for her own safety but Loki's. If Thor would join the fight against them seriously, he would get hurt. Thor was stronger than him and if Mjolnir would connect with him, Loki would suffer serious injuries. She hoped it wouldn't come to that.

"Get inside."

She didn't argue and went into the suite when she saw the Hulk approach, leaping from building to building to get closer to them. Loki followed her. He made her stay back but she refused to hide, merely keeping her distance so she would not be in harm's way. She noticed Thor coming too. The blurs of green and red moved rapidly closer until they'd both arrived. The Hulk had crashed through the window and Thor had moved in through the now already broken glass. Stark wasn't far behind, leaving dealing with the chitauri masses to Rogers, Barton and the local police force, as well as military reinforcements.

"Loki," she said before the others rounded in on them fully.

"I know."

The Hulk was on him before he could utter another word. He smashed him into the floor like it was nothing and Natalia acted quickly. She threw a few daggers at him, successfully distracting him from hurting Loki. He looked battered already and she was glad she hadn't let it go on. Thor didn't seem to care much. He probably knew that Loki was fine. He had certainly endured worse. She backed away on instinct when the Hulk turned his attention to her instead of the God in the floor (and it was definitely in the floor; he'd left a massive dent with Loki stuck in it). He made no further move to attack her however. Perhaps he deemed her too fragile to smash in like he had done with Loki. A few deep breaths later, she was walking to where Loki lay beaten on the ground, winded and panting. She could see that aside from distracting the beast, her daggers had done nothing to him. Physically, there wasn't even a scratch on him. She hadn't expected there to be but was still a little surprised. Thor stepped closer too and she wished she could move Loki. She wasn't strong enough to lift him though. He lay rather in the middle of the room which made standing between him and their assailants difficult for her. The Hulk was on her left, Stark still a bit in the back and Thor marching closer from right ahead of her. She kept her eyes on all three of them, fiercely standing in the way, her remaining dagger raised high. She would not let them get their hands on Loki.

"Natalia, please," Thor urged.

She shook her head, her face betraying nothing but her will to protect Loki at all costs. Still, her determination faltered for just a moment as she looked at him. She'd grown up with Thor. She loved Thor. But her loyalties would always be with Loki. She would not be swayed. She would not watch him get taken.

"You're not getting him."

"Listen, sweetie," Tony said and she immediately responded with a sneer and glare similar to Loki's, "Get out of the way."

Loki, still aware of the commotion around him and the potential danger it posed for her to be here, struggled to his feet. He grabbed his sceptre off the ground and stepped around her, finding his footing and orientating himself quickly. The Hulk had left him dizzy and hurting but he had been faced with the wrong end of Mjolnir before and in comparison, this wasn't so bad.

"Loki, no."

She helped keep him steady. Her free hand was still clutching one of her last daggers tightly, ready to strike at any of them at any moment, while her other pressed against Loki's chest reassuringly. If he would fall, there would be little she could do to stop it but the touch grounded him. She lifted her hand further when Thor approached, staring him down and daring him to come closer. She would not hesitate to use her blade against him. Nor would she leave the gun that was strapped to her thigh without its use if it became necessary.

"Don't. You're not getting him. Your involvement changes nothing, Thor," she said.

She'd never faced Thor like this before. They had sparred a few times but it had never been a serious match. Not like this anyway. They had never truly been opponents before. She knew Thor well and should it come to a fight, she was somewhat sure of herself. She couldn't take him out and she made no illusions to herself on the matter, but she could tire him out; pose as a distraction while Loki regained his strength.

The Hulk roared and lifted one of his massive fists, ready to leap and in a split second, Loki had visibly betrayed his fears. After getting pummelled by the beast quite a bit, he knew that she couldn't withstand the brute force of him. He hit as hard as an Asgardian, perhaps worse. Natalia would stand no chance. He pushed her behind him, readying himself to take the blunt of it and something in Thor's mind clicked. He only had a moment to react.

"Wait," he boomed, effectively stopping any movement with the force of his command.

"What is it, goldilocks?" Tony asked with an exaggerated sigh.

The Hulk had stopped but still glared at the pair of them. He wanted to smash them, put an end to this entire affair. Once they were taken care of, they could go and stop the chitauri.

"Brother…"

"I am not your brother."

Before Thor could finish his question, Loki glared at him. He held onto Natalia and teleported them away in an instant. It took the rest of his strength to get them far away from the battlefield and he collapsed the moment they touched ground.

"Loki. Loki, come on, don't do this to me."

Worried and afraid of the worst, she felt for his pulse, her heart beating loud and hard in her chest. He had never exhausted himself so fully when using his magic. She was relieved when she found the telltale sign of life and sat back on the floor next to him. He was alive at least. Now she could do nothing but wait for him to wake up again. She hoped nobody would find them here, wherever here was. Hopefully the chitauri would keep the Avengers too busy to look for them, especially Thor. She didn't even know where they were but she had no desire to leave the room and find out. She wanted to keep watch over Loki, make sure he would recover without any incidents. She didn't know how long that would take but she'd wait it out with him. It wasn't often that he made her worry like this. He'd always had his magic under control and wouldn't use it if it meant the depletion of his last energy. He'd done it once when she had still been small to protect her and it had only exhausted him so because he'd spent all day training. After that, she'd been more careful and he hadn't needed to resort to it again. Going this far was dangerous. Not so much here, on Midgard, where little could harm him. On Asgard though, it left him vulnerable. She supposed the same still counted here after all, but to an extent less worrisome. She could protect him against mortals. Against her own kind. Her thoughts drifted as she watched his unconscious body. Sitting idly wasn't one of her strong suits. She despised it. There wasn't much she could do but it drove her crazy to just sit there. She touched the tip of her dagger, the cold blade a nice contrast to her warm skin, and watched it reflect the light from the sun shining in. She'd lost a few in the attempt at distracting the Hulk. She hoped to retrieve them later. She didn't need them but they were important to her. Loki had gifted them. She rubbed the blade against the cloth of her trousers. Maintaining her weapons was usually a good way to pass time. Her worry would fade when he woke up again. She didn't like making him worry with her own concerns and so she took a few deep breaths and prepared herself for when he'd open his eyes again. She would remain strong and composed. Loki would be fine. He just needed time. Time she took to not think about Thor. Thinking about Thor meant thinking about Asgard; about Frigga and Sif and the home she'd had there. No, she would think ahead.

* * *

Without the sceptre Loki had they couldn't close the portal. The chitauri kept coming and S.H.I.E.L.D.'s scientists worked hard to try and find a way to shut it down remotely but none of them had even managed to get a close enough look at the machine to know what they were truly doing. Experimenting with the tesseract previously gave them some starting points at least and so they weren't completely clueless. But with Banner and Stark in the midst of the battle, two of their most brilliant minds were already occupied.

Thor was struggling. He'd never paid it much attention, the way Loki had always been so protective of Natalia. After seeing his face when the Hulk had been about to attack her, however, pieces he never knew existed seemed to slide into place. The suspicion of her mortality had him distracted from battle. Steve called him out on it when the team met up on the ground to come up with a viable battle strategy. He told them what he thought and was met with stunned silence.

"You think she's human?" Steve asked eventually.

"Why? Because Loki went all scaredy-cat on us?"

Thor ignored the remark and nodded toward the Captain in reply to his question. Clint forwarded the possibility of it to Fury who ran a check on missing person's to see if anyone fit her description. It was a worldwide search and even with the technology they had now, it would take some time. Time Steve wanted to use to hold back the incoming alien force rather than discuss how messed up all this was.

They split up. Tony took Clint to a higher vantage point from where the archer could keep an eye on a large part of the perimeter. Steve covered the ground. Thor and the Hulk had whatever they could get. Thor's lightning was an immediate help and the Hulk leaped around the aliens and took down as many as he possibly could. Tony kept the skies clear, or as much as he could anyway. The military force helped in leaving time for civilians to evacuate and keeping exits clear for them to get through. The NYPD did their best to contain the invasion to as few blocks as possible.

Time flew as they battled the incoming horde of aliens. The day was almost over but there seemed to be no shortage of newcomers. Fury had gotten backup offers from other superheroes and teams, as well as agents who were willing to go into the fight to give the Avengers a break. They all ran low on energy, all but Thor and the Hulk. Even Steve was tired and Clint was starting to struggle keeping his aim true. Tony too was exhausted. The respite they got from others taking over did nothing to lessen their worry for the city and its inhabitants but it at least allowed them to catch their breath. Tony and Banner both had a look at the tesseract to help any research in stopping it alone and they all went to the helicarrier to eat and take a nap. Steve felt uneasy, leaving the battle before it was finished but he knew his limits well. Thor wanted to continue fighting. Fury stopped him before he could hop back into it to talk to him.

"We haven't gone through every single report yet but we started with the obvious choices; Eastern Europe and America, and we found nothing that fits her description or name. Are you sure she's human?"

"I do not know for certain… but she has been with us for decades. It would be unlikely that you would be successful in your search."

"Did you say decades?" Clint asked, sitting on a desk next to them, "Like two, right?"

Thor frowned, confused for a moment. He watched as images flickered across the screen next to Clint so fast he couldn't remember what he'd just seen the next moment. One face replaced another. Then another, and another.

"No. It has been much longer than that. I have never questioned her origin but perhaps I should have asked more questions then. Loki has always looked out for her but it never seemed odd to me. I have done the same with him. I thought nothing of it."

"How is that even possible?"

Steve joined the conversation too now, unable to sleep. He'd settled for resting without it. Tony was working and stuffing his face with food. Bruce was working too. Clint was the only one who had actually gotten any sleep yet.

"It could be something similar to me. I heard there's humans who have powers that let them live for much longer without aging visibly too. It could be any number of things," he offered.

"We have a list of all those people," Fury said, "But I guess she wouldn't be on it anyway, considering she hasn't been on this planet for very long as a child."

"How do Asgardians age anyway? Are you kids as long as we are and then grow up into teenagers and adults or how does that work?"

"She has aged at the same pace as our children. We spent little time as children. The majority of our lives, we are adults, with few changes."

"You know, he's pretty possessive of her. Are they together?"

Thor made a disgusted face at the question. The mere idea of it was appalling. They were incredibly close, inseparable like he and Loki had been once, but not like that. Never like that. There wasn't a doubt in Thor's mind.

"No."

"That bad? He loves her. I could tell when we talked."

"He adores her, but not like you think. He has raised her since she was a child. They are family, nothing else. Natalia is his world… She and mother. They have always been able to help where I could not."

"He's a nutcase. I don't get it. She's nothing like that. I see why she'd stick with him, if that's the case, but helping him attack Earth when she's from here? I mean, this is a full scale invasion. She doesn't seem the crazy type that'd help with it. Just saying."

Thor let out a sigh. He felt defeated. What Clint was saying wasn't unreasonable. Natalia had often kept Loki from doing something terrible and he, too, could not quite comprehend what would have possessed her to help him in his endeavour to invade Midgard. She had never spoken of her past to him. It had always been only Loki who had had the privilege to know and perhaps his mother. Yet Thor could not see why she would want her home destroyed. Was what had transpired here truly so horrifying that she could justify all this destruction?

"Whatever the case," Fury interrupted, "They're still out there and we need to find them. I'm starting to think we need them to close that damn portal."

Thor nodded grimly. Despite all this, or maybe because of it, he wanted to bring them home now more than ever. He missed them both. Nobody did more than Frigga, however. She had been devastated when she'd found out about their disappearance and had regularly asked Heimdall if he had seen them. The answer had always been the same. It had only been a small comfort to know that neither one of them were alone. She couldn't imagine what it would have been like for Loki to go through all that pain by himself. And finding out about his adoption in such a way had pained him greatly. Thor felt responsible for it ever since finding out. He had never known Loki was adopted. The initial shock had lasted less than ten minutes. It didn't matter what race he belonged to; Loki would always be his little brother. There was nothing in the universe that could change this fact. He wished he could make him understand. He wished he could bring them home and start over; show Loki that he was loved. He had stopped paying as much attention to him as he should have. The way things had been when they had been children; inseparable and adoring of one another. He wanted to go back to it and never stop showing him that affection. Perhaps he could have prevented all this from happening. Maybe he would have never needed to lose his brother to hatred and bitterness. He wanted to make it right.


	5. Chapter 5

They were left alone where they were. It had been hours since Loki had brought them here and Natalia hadn't once left his side. He hadn't stirred. She was getting more and more anxious and worried. It seemed he had taken a worse hit than she'd thought or his strength wouldn't have been impacted so badly. She was sure she could have taken them. He hadn't needed to do this. He hadn't needed to protect her at such a cost. But he was always protecting her. He always had. It was her turn to protect him. The thought brought her new resolve and her worry slowly faded into anger. She hated that they'd hurt him. She was angry at herself, too. She shouldn't have let him go through with getting them out. It was too late for that now though so she focused her energy on the others. She would ruin them for harming him.

Finally, he woke up another couple of hours later. He groaned, in pain and screwed his eyes shut tightly before opening them with a heavy sigh. Natalia was alert instantly.

"Loki. Don't move, you're still hurt."

"You're safe?" he asked quietly.

He found her with his eyes and saw her smile at him. She nodded in affirmation. He felt weak, physically. The Hulk had left quite the number on him.

"You got us away safely."

"Good. I couldn't bear to watch you get hurt."

"So you made me watch you get hurt instead. You've been out for hours… I was worried."

"I'm sorry, darling."

She shook her head. She knew he hadn't meant to; he never did. It just happened sometimes. He lifted a hand up and she grabbed it, squeezing it gently.

"What do we do now? You need to rest," she wondered, "I'm not sure where you've brought us but so far, nobody's found us here. I don't think it'll stay that way. Your army won't hold them forever either."

"I will do whatever I must to keep you safe."

She knew that face. She hated it when he made that face. It meant trouble. Not for her, never for her, but for him. She wasn't interested in letting him do whatever it was he wanted to do.

"No," she frowned, shaking her head, "No, I won't let you do anything stupid like that. You are not taking the fall. You're not leaving me behind, especially not to protect me."

He smiled at her softly and pushed himself up with some difficulty. He was still beaten and exhausted. It would be a little while before his magic had returned enough for him to heal himself. He freed his hand and tucked her hair back behind her ear. She pouted. He tapped her chin with a finger and an amused smile. She hadn't done that in years. He'd always found it cute when she pouted at him, but it also made it impossible for him to deny her anything.

"Natalia… What do you wish to do?"

"Rest, for now. You need it. I'll find us some food, maybe see if I can't figure out where we are. And then I want us to break them."

"And Thor?"

"Thor shouldn't be here… I don't want to fight him. I've never wanted to fight him, but I will if I have to. He's not you. I won't let him take you away. I won't let him stop us. We've come too far for that to happen. I refuse to be beaten now."

The determination she felt was more than obvious. Little had ever been able to stop her from getting what she wanted. She'd beaten Asgardians much stronger than her; she'd outsmarted people that have been living for centuries already. Natalia knew how to get her way and nobody could stand in the way of that. Not even Thor.

He fell back on his back with a groan. He was so exhausted. He had no idea where exactly they were. He just knew he'd gotten them far away from New York City. Sadly, it had been that extra distance to cover that had done him in. Her safety was worth everything to him though. He looked at her, watching her. Whatever he needed to do, he would keep her safe. And if he could, he would put the world at her feet. She deserved it, after what this particular realm had done to her.

Natalia stood up. Now that Loki was awake, she could go out and get them something to eat. She could leave him alone for a little while without needing to worry about his safety. Weak as he was, he could still take care of himself. These were only mortals after all. She sheathed her dagger and hid her gun before opening the door to the outside. It was warm, much warmer than inside the house. It was a small town, by the looks of it, and no sign of chitauri or the invasion could be seen in the sky. She breathed out and smiled a little. If there was nothing to see from here, then they were truly far away enough to be safe for a while longer. She took a look at the house she'd just stepped out of, taking it in to remember which one it was. It looked abandoned and in a shabby state. She doubted anyone from the town would come bother them. They weren't in the centre of town either, hidden behind some trees instead. She stalked past them and onto the main road. She didn't have any money but was confident she'd be able to secure food. She took a long, deep breath and prepared herself. All she needed were a few tears and the look of distress on her face as she walked down the street. Mortals were gullible. It would be easy to fool them into helping her. She had practice on Asgardians and several other alien races so she wasn't overly worried. She literally ran into a nice-looking lady in front of a small café and apologized profusely.

"Oh, dear, are you alright?"

Natalia nodded and wiped her eyes, looking down for a moment. Her bottom lip trembled for good measure and then she looked back up at the elderly woman.

"Y-yes. I'm so sorry."

The woman looked surprised when she saw Natalia's clothes but didn't comment on it. Neither did Natalia. In the heat of the moment, she'd forgotten that this wasn't what mortals generally wore. New York had seemed funny enough with its people though and she was certain there'd be an explanation that would appear logical.

"What's happened?"

She shook her head and then came up with a story that was believable and upsetting but not enough that she would want to look after her for some reason. She told her about her father who'd fallen ill and how she was too poor to afford another meal for them both. The lady took it upon herself to give Natalia a bag of food, insisting on her taking it. Natalia insisted on paying her back in some way, though she had no intention of actually doing so. She stole a few more food items when the older one wasn't looking and hid them.

"Thank you so much. Thank you."

The other woman smiled at Natalia and reassured her that everything was fine and she had been glad to help. Natalia returned to Loki about half an hour later. She'd made a quick stop to find some medical supplies at a pharmacy. She knew Loki didn't need it, not really, but it had always made her feel better to tend to his wounds. Loki would heal just fine without her aid. She was restless though. She liked giving herself something to do and taking care of him after a battle had been her go to thing for many years now. Loki had long stopped uttering protests. They fell on deaf ears. And if nothing else, while it was unnecessary, she had always been incredibly gentle and her care was reassuring. It had reassured her too and so he let her do it. He liked it better than the healers' touch. She calmed him down. Even when his injuries had been a little more severe, her presence did wonders for him.

He couldn't help the smile when she returned with a bag that was overflowing with supplies and food. He should have known.

"You needn't."

"I want to. There's plenty of food to eat."

She put down the bag next to him. It had fruits and bread and some sweets in it, as well as canned food she thought odd and wasn't sure how to prepare. She wasn't sure she wanted to figure it out either. Loki didn't look convinced by it and she smiled. He took the bread and scanned the fruits before settling on an apple. He took a bite, then one from the bread. She settled next to him again and broke off a piece of bread for herself. It was pretty good.

"Thank you. Did you steal all of it?"

"I stole the medical supplies and a couple of fruits. I found someone who was willing to give me the rest for free. These people are easy to fool."

He chuckled: "You've always had a talent for it."

She smirked and he returned it. Loki had seen her potential and had done his best to enhance the skill she'd had already. The Red Room may have screwed up her early life but the skills she had taken away from that place had gotten her far.

"You can't even see the invasion from here. I think we'd be fine for a while longer. But we should rethink our approach. Thor wasn't something we planned for. The beast is a lot stronger than I'd imagined too. I'd rather you wouldn't get too close to him again. It's a lot more dangerous than it should be."

She scanned his face as she spoke. She took in his bruises and the broken nose. This would be the least of his worries if the Hulk or Thor would have another go at him. The Hulk had always been a wild card but another encounter could well be his last. Not in terms of physical harm but rather it could ring the end of their plan; of their attempt to win over this realm. They needed a backup plan.

Loki finished his apple, hesitant for a moment to bring up what was on his mind. It could be a somewhat solid plan but he knew she would dislike it. A lot. It wasn't a very safe approach.

"I could force him to join us. The beast. Once I have my strength back, I could corrupt his mind and make it ours. If I was stronger, I could even attempt to separate him from the man."

"You would need to be far too close to him for that. He'll smash your face in again."

"I don't think he will. Not if you are there. You have seen Thor's face before we disappeared. He suspects you are not of Asgardian origin. Surely he has shared his thoughts on the matter with the rest of them. The beast won't attack you. Thor would never let him harm you. I believe you safe. You know I would never suggest this otherwise. I would never put you in harm's way, not willingly."

She bit her lip. Loki sounded so sure of this. And he was, she knew. She knew Thor wouldn't let her get hurt. It had never occurred to her that Thor hadn't ever realized she wasn't like them. But Loki was right. Of course he was right. If Thor truly suspected, then she assumed she would be fairly safe at least from the Hulk. His attacks were more devastating than anything the rest of the mortals could do. Thor would have warned him. She watched Loki for a few moments. He needed her approval. He wouldn't go through with his idea without it. She nodded mutely. She trusted Loki. He wouldn't let her get hurt either and she would make sure that he would remain unharmed this time too.

"But only once you're well enough to perform that kind of magic. I know it is tiring and requires a lot of energy and focus. The chitauri seem to be a good distraction for now. They're too busy fighting them to look for us. I'll go back to town to get us more food if we need it so you can rest."

"It is decided then."

"Yes. Leave it to me. Leave him to me."

He smiled. She would distract the Hulk, give Loki time to work his magic and take over his mind. It was true that the spell needed a lot of preparation and energy. One false move could backfire and he had little doubt that the Hulk would attempt to resist. Any sane person would want to resist. But Loki was a powerful sorcerer and knew his craft well. He had only used this spell a couple of times before but he was nevertheless confident in his ability to succeed. He had to. A confused Hulk would be a dangerous thing indeed.

He let Natalia tend to his wounds after that. Her touch was soft and gentle but when the alcohol touched his wounds it stung anyway. He wasn't used to this. On Asgard, they had healing stones and ointments that could take care of such things when magic wasn't available for whatever reason. A crushed healing stone could painlessly mend broken flesh. Though that wasn't to say the healing process was always painless. Some magic hurt. Some wounds weren't easy to close and mending bone never came without some kind of pain. But Loki was used to all this. Most Asgardians were. As someone who frequented the battlefield, even as evading and careful as he was, he was no stranger to the pain of injuries and healing both. He looked at her while she worked. She was focused. Natalia was always focused. He couldn't recall a time where she'd been anything but. Perhaps while she slept but a lot of her nights had been plagued with nightmares for the longest time.

"I'm sorry I have dragged you with me."

She looked up sharply. It wasn't the first time he'd said those words to her since they had left Asgard. Every so often, he'd tell her. Sometimes he'd apologized when he'd thought her asleep. She smiled and shook her head, undeterred in her actions.

"No. I came with you. I don't regret that."

"Would you go back? To Asgard?"

She put the supplies away when she was satisfied with what she could do with them and folded her hands in her lap. Would she? It had been her home for many decades and everyone she cared about was there. But that wasn't quite right. Loki wasn't there.

"Only if you came with me."

He didn't reply. He had nothing to say. There was only one person left on Asgard who he truly cared about; who he would die for. It wasn't enough. He adored his mother, he always would, but she had lied to him too. And more importantly, as long as Odin reigned over the Realm Eternal, there was no place for Loki. There was no home for him there. Perhaps if Thor had taken the throne, things would have been different. Loki found it useless to think about it.

"Do you miss your mother?"

"Yes."

"I wish we could see her."

"Me too," he smiled sadly, "But I wouldn't wish for her to see who I've become. She wouldn't be proud of this."

Loki couldn't face her disappointment. He'd rather not see her again than deal with it. She wouldn't like all this destruction. Loki didn't regret it. None of it. He was doing this for Natalia and that was important to him. His mother had never been a vengeful or bitter person and she had tried her hardest in taming that particular beast inside him but he had been given a chance to pay the mortals back for what they had done to Natalia. He wouldn't just ignore it. Not even for his mother. She had to understand.

"She'd still love you though. I don't think there's anything you could do to change that."

"I hope so."

Natalia smiled and settled next to him, staring up at the ceiling. It looked ready to fall apart. She didn't mind. Growing up in a palace, this place reminded her more of the room she'd had in the Red Room but the thought no longer filled her with hatred. She had moved on from there. She'd grown up into her own person, not some shaped thing.

"There's nothing you could do to make me stop loving you."

He turned to smile at her. He felt the same way about her. He understood what she'd wanted to tell him with the simple statement too. Frigga was the same as them. Her love was unconditional. He found solace in that.

"Nor you."

She knew. She had messed up a few times when she'd been nothing but a child, new in a world that wasn't her own but Loki had shown an immense amount of patience with her. He hadn't ever yelled at her. He'd rarely scolded her. Every time he needed to, he had done it with a kindness nobody else seemed to be able to see in him. She'd known with each time that he cared for her, more and more over time. Eventually, she'd grown to love him. And she'd known before he'd ever uttered the words that she was loved in return. She'd seen that kind of love only once in her life; between Loki and his mother. At first, she hadn't understood but as time passed, the safety it provided for herself and Loki too had become crystal clear. Nothing could ever shake that. Nothing would ever be able to break that bond between them. She wouldn't let it happen and Loki, too, would protect it at all costs. She smiled again.

"We're going to be unstoppable," she told him.

He nodded. They would win. They would have their revenge. And then they could have their peace. It was only a matter of time. They had enough of it right now. Without them, this attack wouldn't stop; one way or another. Loki had no intention to bring it to a halt until they were done. He didn't seek to rule, only avenge. And that he would.


	6. Chapter 6

_Epilogue? Yes or no? Let me know and thanks for reading._

* * *

The fighting in New York continued for days. Between the Avengers and several other teams and heroes, they had the situation more or less under control but still had no way of stopping it. The chitauri kept pouring through the portal. Tony had tried flying through it but hadn't been able to without risking his consciousness. None of the others had tried after him. They had reached the conclusion that, without Loki, or possibly Natalia, they would not be able to close it themselves. Their research hadn't gotten anywhere and everyone was exhausted beyond reason. Fury had decided to shift the focus off the tesseract and the portal and onto finding Loki and Natalia instead. Thor telling him they could have disappeared to anywhere hadn't helped his mood. So far, there wasn't a trace of them to be found but he wasn't willing to stop trying. They had to be somewhere.

Waiting it out wasn't how they had wanted to go about this but at the moment, it wasn't just a viable strategy, it was a safe one. It exhausted the resistance while giving Loki the time to recuperate and get his strength back. They were busy keeping casualties to a minimum, though Natalia had heard that the majority of the city had been evacuated and brought to safety. She knew not everyone had made it and the Avengers' main focus was keeping everyone safe. They couldn't stop the invasion but they were doing all they could to keep it to a small radius. The city was going to be in ruins soon. Natalia overheard talks about it frequently when she went into town to get food for them. She smiled. The heroes were getting tired. No backup would be enough to stop that. Soon, the time would be right to strike. Loki was almost back to enough strength to join the fray and work his magic on the Hulk. Another day would be enough for him. Despite his own reassurances, he worried for her safety. He had felt what the Hulk could do and if he messed up the spell, it could get much worse quickly. He would rather she wouldn't be close should it happen. He knew he needed her to be though and found some peace knowing that she, while mortal, wasn't as fragile as most humans were. She had fought tough opponents and stood her ground; proudly and fiercely. Surely the Hulk couldn't be much worse than that. She would know how to keep herself safe. That was something he reminded himself of every time he looked at her. She would be fine.

They arrived at Stark Tower the next day. He'd teleported them there in the blink of an eye. The chitauri were still wreaking havoc. Leviathans flew across the city, some falling to the hands of Thor or the beast. He even spotted a handful of fighters he'd never seen before. The immediate area of the alien's intrusion was the scene of most of the destruction. Roofs were chipped, ornaments shattered, windows were broken and walls cracking or missing pieces. Some buildings weren't even standing anymore, rubble in the streets. Bodies were scattered throughout, both alien and human.

Stark, who was trying to contain the alien masses by picking them off as they entered Earth, was the first to notice their arrival. He didn't have the time to stop and deal with the two himself, so he forwarded the information and let anyone who was free handle it. They were all busy, but some had enough support to stray off and get to Loki. Thor was busy with a leviathan but looked in the direction of the tower to see them standing there watching. He couldn't leave. Steve and Clint too were incapable of leaving their points and so were most of the heroes helping them out. They'd heard enough to know that they would stand little chance against the God and Natalia, though that alone wouldn't have stopped them from trying. Enough of them, or even just one of them with a good enough strategy, could take him on. Or at least distract him enough. But when the Hulk's roar echoed through the streets of New York, they all knew it wouldn't be necessary to interfere. They could keep fighting. The Hulk had jumped free and away from one of the alien beasts, smashing a few chitauri on his way to the tower. He crashed into buildings and leaped off their small crafts to gain more height and disturb their travels.

Loki and Natalia had walked inside once more. He wasn't in the Hulk's line of sight when he arrived. There was only her, bracing herself for his anger. She smiled when he roared again. It threw him off and he paused and stared at her in confusion. It hadn't been a nasty smile, more amused than anything. He didn't understand. He rested his fist on the floor, just next to Loki's imprint and she took a cautious but confident step forward.

"They're afraid of you. You know that, yes? The cage they put Loki in was meant for you. Once this is all over, they will lock you in there. You'll be a prisoner."

She chuckled when he made his anger heard but before he could charge at her, he stopped as if frozen. He'd only made the smallest movement before it happened. His eyes glazed over, back into focus and then back once more. Loki was muttering under his breath, weaving his spell into the Hulk's mind. As expected, he was no easy target. He fought viciously and his mind was strong. Loki struggled. Gaining control wasn't easy. The fact that Banner had his rage so fully under control, however, helped him. It made it easy to focus on the parts of his mind he needed to influence. The anger was best left alone, but his conscious thoughts, once found, weren't too difficult to get a hold of. Loki knew that if the Hulk would be nothing but his anger, nothing but the beast that stood before him now, it wouldn't be possible for him to succeed. He would require more energy; a more powerful spell. Perhaps he'd even need an ally to work their magic alongside him. Like this, with the man in charge and his mind working past anger, Loki stood more than just a chance. It took him a couple of minutes but eventually, the Hulk sat down, docile. The spell had cost Loki a lot of his energy once more but he beamed at Natalia. It had worked. The Hulk was theirs to command now.

"You did it!"

"Yes," he panted, still smiling.

He was proud of himself and so was Natalia. She joined his side and kept him steady, smiling up at him brightly. She had been worried.

"Now we can break them. Once the tesseract is with Thanos, I will make the mortals pay for what they did to you. We will finish with them."

It didn't matter that most of the ones responsible had died already. The mind set of them still existed and Loki intended to wipe it out. He would not let a single person who had hurt her live, nor anyone who would agree with them.

The Hulk stirred next to them and Natalia moved on instinct. They looked at him, Loki holding her to him protectively. The Hulk made no move. His mind was clouded with thoughts that weren't his own and Loki could see the struggle. He left him no leeway to think about the fact.

"Get them," he told him, "Fight those who would dare defy my army. Finish them if you must."

The Hulk stood with a smirk, towering above them. He sped off with a thundering roar, smacking into Stark as he flew too close to his friend. The blurs of green and red clashed violently and Tony was smashed into a nearby building. He fell limply to the ground, his armor protecting him from the worst of the impact. He remained lifeless and Natalia briefly wondered if he was merely unconscious or dead. With the first line of defence gone, more chitauri made it into the streets. She watched them speed by; watched as they fought the mortals.

The Hulk went on with his rampage. Loki and her watched from the top of the tower now, rather than just the balcony. He took out a few chitauri while fighting the other heroes. It was difficult to continue keeping an eye on the events from so high up, especially as the Hulk kept running deeper into the city to find everyone who opposed Loki and Natalia.

"How many do you think he will kill?"

Loki looked at her and listened to the sounds of fighting coming from beneath them. The city was full of them. The police, the military, the heroes… They were all fighting. It was a fruitless resistance. Only Loki and Natalia could close the portal and neither had any desire to. There was no failsafe for the humans to abuse. Many more would die, either by alien hands or the Hulk's. Maybe by theirs too, if they felt inclined to join the fight. Right now, Loki did not.

"I do not know."

"Thor?"

"Thor has survived worse. It is unlikely he will fall to the beast, but he may be weakened enough for me to contain him. Along with any other survivors who would continue to fight."

"Hmm…"

"He may live."

She wanted to smile at that. That was the first time in a while that he'd said something like this regarding Thor without sounding bitter. He had sounded amused. That was all she needed to know Thor would make it through this alive. She still cared for him.

They heard more crashing sounds and screams, even over the rest of the noises the fighting sourced. One by one, the Hulk was taking his targets apart. He fought his friends without recognition and not a word of them made it through to him. Natalia saw the archer being flung from the rooftop he was standing on. He lost his bow and had no way to secure himself. She could almost hear the crunch of his impact against a corner of a building. He would not get up again. He lay face down between rubble, dead.

Steve put up a fight, holding his own for much longer than any of the other heroes had but he, too, lost against the overwhelming prowess of the beast. He fell unconscious after being punched in the face, flying a few meters back. His shield lay forgotten where he'd dropped it.

The only one left in the end was Thor. He had the strength and endurance to keep up a fight and take the hits. Having the thunderer distracted was enough for the chitauri to lay siege to the city; to what was left of it. They had free reign now. Thor still managed to take a few of them down, focusing his energy on containing the invasion while evading the Hulk when possible to safe what he could. The Hulk was determined to take him out. He didn't let up in his pursuit.

"Should I help him with Thor?" Natalia asked.

It took more than physical might to harm Thor; to even knock him unconscious. Natalia knew how to. Besides her daggers and gun, she had many tools at her disposal that could cripple any enemy. Growing up on Asgard, she had tested them out enough to know that the Gods weren't immune to them either. They certainly had a higher resistance to poisons and tranquilizers but all it took was to adapt the dose and they fell as well.

"Do you have what you need?"

"Yes. Always."

"Then go. But be careful."

She grinned at him and jumped onto a chitauri ship that flew by. She hung on. It would get her close enough. Loki looked after her until he couldn't spot her red hair anymore. He decided to join the fight. He would cause some panic within the military and police factions.

When Natalia reached Thor and the Hulk, she remained unseen. Loki had always prided himself on having taught her stealth but she had had the basic training of it from the Red Room. He had merely picked up on it and enhanced her skills. She'd stopped reminding him of it decades ago. It didn't matter. It often came in handy, no matter the battlefield, and this time was no exception. She reached for one of her daggers and then groped the holster for a small capsule that she'd attached underneath it. She opened it, then touched the tip of the dagger to the powder inside. Natalia waited a couple of seconds. The white powder turned liquid on the blade and then crystalized. She threw it at Thor, aiming for a spot between his armor that, like Sif's in all her training sessions, had a small opening that was susceptible to hits. There was no space to mess up. The Hulk had punched him to the ground and Thor was too busy defending to move away in time. Not that he had noticed her presence until the dagger hit home and the poison on it touched blood. When his legs gave out and he collapsed to the ground, she called the Hulk off him. The poison wouldn't kill him but leaving him undefended to an onslaught of the Hulk's attacks could.

An explosion could be heard behind them and she turned. Something was burning. She hoped it was Loki's doing. He enjoyed using other people's weapons against them and she had seen tanks on her way that could carry the kind of weapon to cause such an explosion. She moved quickly. Making her way through the streets and past the source of the fire, she evaded armed men and found her way back to Loki. He looked content.

"Did you get Thor?"

"Yes. Did you blow something up?"

He shrugged and grinned at her brightly. She rolled her eyes. The Hulk joined them too and Loki told him to gather who was left alive, be it unconscious or not. Loki would find a suitable way to keep them locked up. Regarding Thor, he would channel the last of his magic if needed to keep him imprisoned.

"Loki?" she asked, quickly getting his attention again, "Did it contact you again?"

He shook his head. His eyes were following the commotion close-by as people tried to put out the fire he'd caused.

"No. I thought I dreamt about it but I cannot be sure if it was real or not. I'm certain it is watching. We have succeeded in what we wanted; what we needed them for. It will come for the tesseract."

They could outsmart the creature who had helped them set all this in motion. She was sure of it. So was Loki. It came with a risk neither one of them was willing to take, however. Angering Thanos wasn't something they would actively seek. Loki couldn't. It would be far too dangerous for her and so they had both decided to give up the artefact as per their deal with Thanos' henchman. Why risk their lives against a Titan when they had a world at their feet?

* * *

By the time the fighting came to a close, more than half the city was in ashes and the tesseract was no longer in their hands. Loki had made sure to deliver. He thought that, had he been alone all this time, perhaps he wouldn't have given it up. Perhaps he'd have kept it, summoning Thanos' wrath and ending it all for him. Things would have gone differently. He was glad it hadn't come to that.

With the tesseract, they lost their alien army but they had no more need for it either. Midgard feared them. More importantly, they could move on from New York. Loki was eager to do so; to get to the place that had started it all for Natalia. Standing next to her in the midst of fallen buildings and dead bodies, he smiled. It was an absurd sight. He was happy. He cared not for all the destruction the battle had caused, not really. He was happy that they could do what they had truly come back to Midgard for. He felt elevated. He doubted he would have succeeded had he been alone. With her, he'd always felt he could accomplish anything. This mortal city in ruins was proof enough for him. Natalia, like his mother – and he refused to linger on the thought; she'd be disappointed by all this – was his anchor. The two women were the reason he lived. He was sure he would not have dealt with the past year as well as he had without them both. Not just one of them; he needed them both. He observed Natalia as she stepped through the rubble and over the bodies of those who hadn't made it. The archer lay there too. She walked over him to the man next to him, still in his red and golden armor. She lifted the faceplate up, curious. Until now, she hadn't been certain he'd been dead. There was no life left in those eyes. There was no life left in him at all. He was as dead as Barton a couple feet away.

Loki had locked the remaining Avengers up. Thor and Steve were the only ones who had lived through the ordeal and he had put magical reinforcements into place to prevent them from escaping. The rest of the heroes who had lived somehow were in similar, non-magical cells. He knew it was only a matter of time until Odin would step in. Now that all this was over and the danger of an alien army and the tesseract were gone, surely the Allfather would personally intervene. Sending Thor hadn't helped. Something else would. Especially if that something else was Odin himself. Heimdall was always watching after all. He would have informed the Allfather of this. Odin would never allow them to remain here. Not after all they had done. Loki knew it and Natalia did too. If they were to return to Asgard, they would be met with prison or death. Asgard was no longer a home, no longer a safe place for them. A part of him regretted having taken that away from her. She had always considered the Realm Eternal her home. He had made it so. And now she couldn't go back to it. The other part of him was well aware that she had chosen that fate for herself. It had been her decision to come with him. Natalia wasn't a fool. She knew then what it would mean to leave Asgard. She knew what it would mean for her relation to Asgard to start this fight against Midgard. She had chosen to be a part of it all. To her, Asgard itself wasn't so much her home as Loki had been most of her life. She didn't need a fancy palace. She didn't need to be royalty. She needed him to feel at home.

"Natalia."

She turned around at the sound of his voice and walked back to him when he didn't move or go on.

"We cannot remain here forever. I am certain that Odin is thinking of ways to bring us back, to have us face court. If we even get that privilege."

She nodded and turned on her spot until she faced him again. He looked torn and she knew it was for her. She smiled.

"Where do we go?"

His expression softened. He had expected nothing else but it was reassuring to know she understood.

"First, I wish to return to where I found you; kill whoever is left. Whoever continued their work. Then we can go wherever you want. Heimdall will find us eventually but I can conceal us for a while before it becomes necessary for us to go to another place."

"Can we go to Alfheim?"

He chuckled at the face she made. He could never refuse her but it was even more so when she looked at him like that. She was excited, like a child for Yule. He nodded and she grinned before hugging herself to him tightly. She loved Alfheim. It was one of her favorite places in the universe. Loki wished they wouldn't need to flee. He wished he could take her to Alfheim and stay there indefinitely. They would need to run from there and he could only buy them so much time to live there. He wanted more for her. As if reading his mind, she peeked up at him and glared at him playfully.

"I don't care if we have to run and hide," she said pointedly.

"You will never convince me that you are unable to read minds, darling… I will keep you safe. I promise."

She nodded once. She knew he would. He always did. She would do what she could to return the favour so they may live a quiet life where they went.

"I love you, Loki."

Loki smiled and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. She wrapped his arms around her a little more tightly.

"And I you."

They would be alright. He would do all he could to keep them hidden and safe. He knew enough magic to do it. Not indefinitely, but long enough to allow them to settle for a while before needing to move on again. They had time. He would buy them all the time in the universe. There were reached within it that Odin had no power over and he knew that Heimdall was not able to see all of it either. There were places they could hide where no one would ever find them. Loki knew them all. Nobody else on Asgard did. He could make sure not to fall into Asgard's hands. Natalia would live in peace. He promised it to her and to himself. Nothing and no one would be able to separate them. They could start over somewhere new and while most hidden places weren't as beautiful as Alfheim, they would do. And they could always go back to other realms for a while, when he was able to keep them hidden from Heimdall's watchful eyes for long enough. It would be alright.


End file.
